Treadmill or Elliptical?

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kylakesgal
kylakesgal Posts: 952 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all.....I'm wanting to purchase some exercise equipment and wanted to get some opinions. Which one has the best calorie burn and the best toning, treadmill or elliptical? I want the most bang for my buck lol. I'm guessing it would be the elliptical. Also what kind of calorie burn are you getting using either one of these machines. I'm looking at Nordic Track brands. They seem to be pretty good quality. Any feedback on this brand or any other ones that are good but also reasonable. I've managed to lose 10 lbs just walking and some aerobics but want something that will give me better results. Thanks a bunch and good luck to you all:)

Replies

  • dadoo26
    dadoo26 Posts: 5
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    Have had both and unless you plan to get a real fitness club professional model elliptical, better to go with the treadmill. :smile:
  • shadric_m
    shadric_m Posts: 2
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    Elliptical all the way. It's low impact so it's better on the joints. In my opinion, the motion is much more fluid and natural feeling. Lastly, you DO indeed burn more calories on the elliptical. My wife and I purchased a Gold's Gym Stride Trainer 595 from Walmart about 5 weeks back and we absolutely love. Well constructed, super smooth action. It cost something like $480. They had a cheaper one but I'm glad we bought this one. Best purchase we've ever made.
  • afyfe1999
    afyfe1999 Posts: 16
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    I get way more calorie burn (tracked with HRM) via walking or running on a treadmill. Perhaps it is because ellipticals hurt my knees and I don't push as hard. I'm not entirely sure.

    Personally, I get very bored with ellipticals the rare times I use one. I much prefer treadmills, because I can wak, run, do intervals, walk backwards, use hand weights, etc.
  • eeeekie
    eeeekie Posts: 1,011 Member
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    I want an elliptical. Treadmill sounds boring plus I have balance issues on them lol...can't get the hang of it. Elliptical can be fun and it's a change up from a normal walk.
  • stitcherbeth
    stitcherbeth Posts: 52
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    I have both. I love my treadmill more. The elliptical tends to be hard on my hips.
  • Mahlissa
    Mahlissa Posts: 128
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    I had both the treadmill and Eliptical (cheap manual one for about $250 from Sports Authority) I no longer have the Eliptical. I supplemented my running with the Eliptical. I don't use the EIliptical or treadmill anymore, all my running is outdoors now. but in the beginning i used them all the time.

    Now which one did i like better........ They both have their pro's and cons. I liked the treadmill for SPeedwork and The Eliptical for upperbody and less impact on the joints and it was more fun :). Good glute work out, too!

    Good luck with your decision. :smile:
  • StaceyZombie
    StaceyZombie Posts: 69 Member
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    I have a treadmill and jog on it. Can be a bit boring so I plan on buying an elliptical soon to mix it up a bit. I think either way you can burn plenty of calories :-)
  • Nanadena
    Nanadena Posts: 739 Member
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    :flowerforyou: Treadmill for sure. I have done both.
  • donicagalek
    donicagalek Posts: 526
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    Before spending a bunch of money buying new, check your local Craigslist to see if anyone is selling something you'd want. A lot of people get these things for Christmas or buy them for their New Year's resolution and wind up wanting to sell them right about now. X-D

    If you can get something cheap enough you may not have to settle for just one thing.

    Between Salvation Army/Freecycle/Craigslist I have the following gym in my workout room:

    Treadmill (nice electric that I can hook up to my laptop) - Free
    Generic Cardioglide (not electric but it works) - $25
    Rebounder - $20
    Total Gym (missing a couple of bolts that were easily replaced by stuff from the hardware store) - $20
    Precor Rowing Machine (electric timer/row counter) - $15

    And right now I'm looking at a ski machine for $20. And the next time a local balance ball and small hand weight set show up locally I'm on it! :-D
  • melandcurt
    melandcurt Posts: 16
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    Well, the elliptical always tells me that I burn more calories than the treadmill, but I don't really believe it. I barely break a sweat on an elliptical (plus my feet go kind of numb after about 20 minutes). When I run on the treadmill, I am sweating bullets and I KNOW that I've worked hard, kwim? On the elliptical, it doesn't really feel like I've done much of anything. But, for home use, be sure your house can tolerate the treadmill, particulary if it will be upstairs. We had one and maybe it was just because I was on it, but it really was very loud, shook the walls, etc.
  • curlytop89
    curlytop89 Posts: 163 Member
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    I think a treadmill is more practical, although I have both, ha! When I walk I can only get my heart rate up if I incline or walk really really fast, so mostly I jog or run on it. I have a nordic track elliptical which I also like, but I really have to pump up the resistance and go really fast to get my heart rate up.( By the way, my elliptical says I burn twice the calories that I actually burn if I am wearing my heartrate monitor, so I would be leary of the calories burned on the machine if I were you, my treadmill seems to be a bit more accurate.) Of course I can read while on the elliptical which helps me pass the time (this took a bit of getting used to). I don't know, try each one out and see which one you feel like you could do, day after day after day after day and not dread. Sorry I'm no help.
  • qtpiesmom
    qtpiesmom Posts: 394 Member
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    I have had both I prefer my treadmill because the different things you can do with it to change the workout up. If you looking for a really huge workout get a bowflex treadclimber I couldnt afford one but thats what I wanted
  • AmyW4225
    AmyW4225 Posts: 302 Member
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    I lost 38 pounds just by using my elliptical. I do love it, but started at the gym a few months back and really love the treadmill, too. I love the treadmill so much that I ordered a part for mine to get it up and running again. Your calorie burn is going to depend on speed, resistance, and incline on both machines. I have a Pro-Form 785F(elliptical) and it has 4 different levels of incline(manual) and you can add resistance, too. Also, the ellipticals are easier on the joints as mentioned by the others.
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
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    I have an elliptical and I love it! Personally I get way to bored with treadmills, if I am going to walk or run I'd rather be outside getting some fresh air while I do it... And I am one of those people who has fallen off of the back of a treadmill, so I treadmills and I are not really friends :blushing:
  • Seanemcee
    Seanemcee Posts: 3
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    Just a quick suggestion. To me there is such a difference between those two machines. I prefer the elliptical machine because it is less impact than a treadmill and easier on my knees. That said, many prefer the treadmill and some like both!

    So before spending a lot of money on a machine your not sure of...

    Do you have a local gym? Multiple local gyms? Any colleges near by with indoor recreation facilities that allow public patrons?

    If you do.. Sometimes you can purchase day passes to these places for only a few bucks. You could go and try one out. While you are there tell the staff you are "Thinking about joining the gym." and you were wondering if they could show you how to use the treadmills and elliptical machines. (Unless it is a Golds Gym.. they are annoying and will hound you to buy a membership.. worse than car dealerships in my opinion.. nothing against the gym itself.. just the tactics.. but I digress.

    Anyway.. then you can see for yourself
  • juliakuch
    juliakuch Posts: 2
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    I have an Elliptical (Nordic Track) which my husband and I bought 4 years ago. I used it on and off in the past, and just started using it again every single day. I really love it. I am not a big runner, and I preffer walking (and running if I feel like it) outdoors with our dog to keep me company, so an elliptical is a way to go for me for home excercise. I do like this brand (Nordic Track), it is very high quality and feels very smooth. I did not have any problems with my knees or hips or anything of the sort while using it. I would really recommend the brand.
  • xlizardx11x
    xlizardx11x Posts: 5
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    I have a treadclimber at my house made by bowflex and its kinda a combination between an eliptical and a treadmill..and its such a great machine, the top speed on it is only 3.8 mph but you really dont want to go any faster on it..it burns tons of calories and is "low-impact" but you get the most out of it..since its designed to get your heart rate up fast and keep it up
  • kylakesgal
    kylakesgal Posts: 952 Member
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    I am looking at possibly buying used. I've been checking my local classifieds and found some pretty good deals. I have used a treadmill and like them but never used an elliptical before. I want something that is good quality and going to last for years but also hoping to find a good deal. I believe from everyone's opinions it's about 50/50 on which one is the favorite. I did find a Nordic track autostrider 990 elliptical for $500 (used) which they sell for about $900 new. Thanks for everyone's opinions.....much appreciated.

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